St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1887-02-26
AMERICANS ABROAD.

, A Newspaper Correqpondeat's Almost n.
credible Adventure In Scotland.
After nice luncheon at the Abbey
Gate Hotel. Melrosc. my friend aud L.
having returned from the ruins. st0Od
talking near the hotel door when two
young fellows. well dressed and well
! enough looking. came up and accostcd
US. They asked rs if we were Amer
leans. Yes. we were. They thought
sO-had seen our names on the hotel
register.
Were we going to Abbottsforl?
We had just been speaking Of it
Yes. We were going.
''Well. we are Americans slso." re-
piled the taller Of the two young fell
lows, land, as the carriages over there"
pointing to them. ''carry four we
thought we'd propose-Jim and me
to ask If YOU and your FRIEND" address
ing me rs the elder. Twill mind taking
two Of the seats, and you see. Jim and
me-won't we. Jimmic?-will take the
other two. It'll save the odd change
for both parties. you see."
After going over and looking mt the
vehicle, drawn by one big strapping
horse, which had evidently been mt
Abbottsford before. because his canny
Scot of driver told us all about it. we
agreed to make the trip with the tall
young man and his companion. James.
They surprised us very much By ask
ing me just as we settled ourselves into
the seats. ''who this Mr.. Scogt was wso
used to live at this place they call
Abbottsforl?" By Jove! was SD taken
back that l looked the tall young fellow
full in the eyes. thinking that he was
attempting to play the quiz game on
me. Not a bit Of it. He was just as
honest rs that Scotch horse trotting
along in front If us. II seemed that he
was aware that the former owner Of
wOrld-famous AbbOttsfor,l had been
man eminent for something. but he had
not the remOtcst idea what it was.
felt provoked to see the staid
young ScotchmIn turn around and grin
mt me rs my friend and l faced the
front. So l told the American
tourists all that Sir Walter had done.
and then he wanted to know il he could
get his poems or STORY books jim Edin-
burgl. SO as to take them back home
with him to Illinois. Actual fact, l
assure You. He was assured that the
works Of Scott could he bought at any
bookstore in the United States-or,
1.-The States" AS people say over there
hut he seemed To have dark doubts rs
to the gcnuineness If the article If not
purchased i'm Scotland in the original
package. 1t appeared by further talk.
that he and his chum Jim had been sent
over by the old folks to buy stock. and
were ON their way to France to look at
some Norman stations, to be bargained
for and shipped to Illinois. How they
came to get into the land Of Scots |
have forgotten. We had noticed them
ut the abbey ruins, going up to get
guide book. The tall one told me that
he always made it point to buy the
guide book at all places they visited.
but he never read them on the spot.
What d a he do with them? o. bless you!
he packed them all carefully away i'm his
valise, and when he returned to his
native village he was to get them ont
and then and there read them all over
at his leisure.
What truly remarkable young man
that remarkable young man from ILL.,
nois was. And, oh! the questions that
he asked Of the guide who took us
through the halls and rooms of Alb |
bOttsfori. If those two fellows travelled
all about Scotland and England. and /
the people who come in contact with
them never had CHANGED to meet any
other Americans. just fancy what an
opinion they must have formed Of US /
And to think that there are SO many Of !
our countrymcn. well educated, cult
waited young men, too, who can never !;
get to Europe ON account Of their lack !
Df means. while just such chumps as
these go over and air their ignorance to
disgrace us.-C0r. Cincinnati CONNER :
ciat.